by Hollywood Sports
Saturday, Oct 31, 2026For the 16th straight summer, I invested time researching each FBS college football team to serve as the foundation for my college football handicapping in the fall and winter. What initially began as basic note-taking on some fundamental details for each team has become an arduous and detailed process for each team that derives from reading and studying multiple sources. Each FBS team now takes about 45 minutes to an hour of preparation time.
To help document this work while crystallizing my thoughts for each team, I am providing a summary of each team highlighted by a critical question that will go a long way in their success or failure.
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL: After two previous reasonable hires, Mike MacIntyre and Butch Davis, who both had success revitalizing Power Five conference programs, the FIU administration went in a different direction by hiring former Florida A&M head coach Willie Simmons last year. In six seasons there, he posted a 66-24 record. He had posted a winning season in all eight of his years as a head coach. After serving as the running backs coach at Duke last year, Simmons returns to Florida, where he knows the high school ranks very well after his six years leading an HBCU program in the state. After leading the Golden Panthers to a 7-6 record last season (and making him nine-of-nine with winning seasons as a head coach), Simmons seems to be an inspired choice. He consistently got his football team to play hard for him last year. They ended the regular season on a four-game winning streak before getting beat by UTSA 57-20 in the First Responder Bowl. FIU finished 5-3 in Conference USA play — and they ranked second in the conference by outgaining their opponents by +42 net Yards-Per-Game. It was their first winning season since 2018 and first bowl game appearance since 2019. But a closer look at the numbers suggests it was too often feast-or-famine for this team last season. Using the metrics by ESPN’s Bill Connelly, they exceeded his SP+ game projections by more than +10.0 or more points in six of their games — but they underachieved those SP+ projections by -12.0 or more points four times. Those results suggested he was able to coach up the team against most opponents, but when the talent difference was a bridge too far, the Golden Panthers got exposed. Simmons is trying to address this through his commitment to high school recruiting. But only six starters are back from last season, so he had to dip into the transfer portal. The starting quarterback appears to be former Appalachian State and Iowa State quarterback J.J. Kohl, who had six starts and played in eight games last year for the Mountaineers. The defense is a bigger lift. They ranked 103rd in the nation last season by surrendering 29.8 Points-Per-Game last year — and they gave up at least 34 points in five of their games. They have ranked 120th or worse in the SP+ defensive rankings in four of their last five seasons. Seven of the top 14 tacklers are back, but only three of the starters. Simmons hit the transfer portal by adding five defensive tackles and two linebackers into the mix.
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI: The Golden Eagles finished 7-6 last season after losing to Western Kentucky in the New Orleans Bowl by a 27-16 score — but that history is almost purely tangential to what this team will be this year. Charles Huff made Southern Mississippi Marshall Southwest last year when he left the Thundering Herd and brought more than 25 players and much of the coaching staff over from Marshall. Now Huff took his traveling circus to Memphis this year with many of the players with him. Offensive coordinator Blake Anderson was tapped as the interim head coach for the bowl game and now takes over as the head coach. He previously was the head coach at Utah State after overseeing an Arkansas State program that went 38-18 in the Sun Belt Conference under his tenure. But only one starter returns on offense and just one of their top 21 tacklers on defense from the previous season. Anderson is completely reliant on the transfer portal in what is the most inexperienced FBS program in the nation. The incoming players consist of FCS and Division II players with experience, along with FBS players with limited previous playing time. Anderson is the fourth head coach for this program in the last three seasons. It bears noting that he has only led one team to a winning season in his last four years as a head coach — and he lost his job at Utah State amid allegations of sexual misconduct and domestic violence. His promotion seems more a matter of convenience for the program than his competency and professionalism as of 2026.
TROY: The Trojans began last season by losing two of their first three games — and with a 5-10 record under second-year head coach Gerad Parker, things were beginning to look grim. But Troy rallied by winning six of their eight games in Sun Belt Conference play to win the West Division and earn the right to play in the SBC Championship Game. They only trailed James Madison on the road by a 17-14 score with five minutes left before the Dukes scored two late touchdowns to pull away with a 31-14 victory. After a 17-13 loss against Jacksonville State in the Salute to Veterans Bowl, the Trojans finished the season with an 8-6 record. Only six starters are back from that squad, but there are plenty of players who got playing time last season who will be asked to step up into bigger roles. The strength of the team is their defense under third-year defensive coordinator Dontae Wright, which held their opponents to 23.9 Points-Per-Game last season. Defensive end Donnie Smith is back after registering 11 sacks despite only playing part-time, which was good enough to earn him first-team All-Sun Belt Conference team honors. This unit lost eight of their top nine tacklers and just six of the 19 players who logged in at least 200 snaps return. Parker added transfers from Arkansas, Tennessee, and two players from Boston College, along with several junior college and Division II programs. On the other side of the ball, sixth-year quarterback Will “Goose” Crowder is back after missing six games last year. Staying healthy has been an issue after Crowder missed eight games to injury two years ago, but senior Tucker Kilcrease also returns after leading Troy to a 5-2 record in his seven starts last season. The team lost its top six receivers to either graduation or the transfer portal, leaving Parker to lean heavily on junior college transfers to fortify the ranks. Overall, 11 of the 24 players on offense who got starts last season are back. The offensive line has six players back who started games last year, and Parker brought in transfers from FBS programs. After ranking just 121st in the nation last season by generating 307.2 Yards-Per-Game, Parker tapped Tarleton State offensive coordinator Adam Austin to install his version of the “veer and shoot” offense that produced the highest-scoring offense in the FCS last season. Originally designed by former Baylor head coach Kenny Briles, this up-tempo scheme incorporates wide receiver splits and RPOs to spread the field both vertically and horizontally.
Best of luck — Frank.
To help document this work while crystallizing my thoughts for each team, I am providing a summary of each team highlighted by a critical question that will go a long way in their success or failure.
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL: After two previous reasonable hires, Mike MacIntyre and Butch Davis, who both had success revitalizing Power Five conference programs, the FIU administration went in a different direction by hiring former Florida A&M head coach Willie Simmons last year. In six seasons there, he posted a 66-24 record. He had posted a winning season in all eight of his years as a head coach. After serving as the running backs coach at Duke last year, Simmons returns to Florida, where he knows the high school ranks very well after his six years leading an HBCU program in the state. After leading the Golden Panthers to a 7-6 record last season (and making him nine-of-nine with winning seasons as a head coach), Simmons seems to be an inspired choice. He consistently got his football team to play hard for him last year. They ended the regular season on a four-game winning streak before getting beat by UTSA 57-20 in the First Responder Bowl. FIU finished 5-3 in Conference USA play — and they ranked second in the conference by outgaining their opponents by +42 net Yards-Per-Game. It was their first winning season since 2018 and first bowl game appearance since 2019. But a closer look at the numbers suggests it was too often feast-or-famine for this team last season. Using the metrics by ESPN’s Bill Connelly, they exceeded his SP+ game projections by more than +10.0 or more points in six of their games — but they underachieved those SP+ projections by -12.0 or more points four times. Those results suggested he was able to coach up the team against most opponents, but when the talent difference was a bridge too far, the Golden Panthers got exposed. Simmons is trying to address this through his commitment to high school recruiting. But only six starters are back from last season, so he had to dip into the transfer portal. The starting quarterback appears to be former Appalachian State and Iowa State quarterback J.J. Kohl, who had six starts and played in eight games last year for the Mountaineers. The defense is a bigger lift. They ranked 103rd in the nation last season by surrendering 29.8 Points-Per-Game last year — and they gave up at least 34 points in five of their games. They have ranked 120th or worse in the SP+ defensive rankings in four of their last five seasons. Seven of the top 14 tacklers are back, but only three of the starters. Simmons hit the transfer portal by adding five defensive tackles and two linebackers into the mix.
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI: The Golden Eagles finished 7-6 last season after losing to Western Kentucky in the New Orleans Bowl by a 27-16 score — but that history is almost purely tangential to what this team will be this year. Charles Huff made Southern Mississippi Marshall Southwest last year when he left the Thundering Herd and brought more than 25 players and much of the coaching staff over from Marshall. Now Huff took his traveling circus to Memphis this year with many of the players with him. Offensive coordinator Blake Anderson was tapped as the interim head coach for the bowl game and now takes over as the head coach. He previously was the head coach at Utah State after overseeing an Arkansas State program that went 38-18 in the Sun Belt Conference under his tenure. But only one starter returns on offense and just one of their top 21 tacklers on defense from the previous season. Anderson is completely reliant on the transfer portal in what is the most inexperienced FBS program in the nation. The incoming players consist of FCS and Division II players with experience, along with FBS players with limited previous playing time. Anderson is the fourth head coach for this program in the last three seasons. It bears noting that he has only led one team to a winning season in his last four years as a head coach — and he lost his job at Utah State amid allegations of sexual misconduct and domestic violence. His promotion seems more a matter of convenience for the program than his competency and professionalism as of 2026.
TROY: The Trojans began last season by losing two of their first three games — and with a 5-10 record under second-year head coach Gerad Parker, things were beginning to look grim. But Troy rallied by winning six of their eight games in Sun Belt Conference play to win the West Division and earn the right to play in the SBC Championship Game. They only trailed James Madison on the road by a 17-14 score with five minutes left before the Dukes scored two late touchdowns to pull away with a 31-14 victory. After a 17-13 loss against Jacksonville State in the Salute to Veterans Bowl, the Trojans finished the season with an 8-6 record. Only six starters are back from that squad, but there are plenty of players who got playing time last season who will be asked to step up into bigger roles. The strength of the team is their defense under third-year defensive coordinator Dontae Wright, which held their opponents to 23.9 Points-Per-Game last season. Defensive end Donnie Smith is back after registering 11 sacks despite only playing part-time, which was good enough to earn him first-team All-Sun Belt Conference team honors. This unit lost eight of their top nine tacklers and just six of the 19 players who logged in at least 200 snaps return. Parker added transfers from Arkansas, Tennessee, and two players from Boston College, along with several junior college and Division II programs. On the other side of the ball, sixth-year quarterback Will “Goose” Crowder is back after missing six games last year. Staying healthy has been an issue after Crowder missed eight games to injury two years ago, but senior Tucker Kilcrease also returns after leading Troy to a 5-2 record in his seven starts last season. The team lost its top six receivers to either graduation or the transfer portal, leaving Parker to lean heavily on junior college transfers to fortify the ranks. Overall, 11 of the 24 players on offense who got starts last season are back. The offensive line has six players back who started games last year, and Parker brought in transfers from FBS programs. After ranking just 121st in the nation last season by generating 307.2 Yards-Per-Game, Parker tapped Tarleton State offensive coordinator Adam Austin to install his version of the “veer and shoot” offense that produced the highest-scoring offense in the FCS last season. Originally designed by former Baylor head coach Kenny Briles, this up-tempo scheme incorporates wide receiver splits and RPOs to spread the field both vertically and horizontally.
Best of luck — Frank.
